A boy goes to the cinema. He buys a ticket and goes in. But after two or three minutes he comes out. He buys a second ticket and goes in again. After a few minutes he comes out again and buys a third ticket. Two or three minutes after that he comes out a third time and asks for another ticket. The ticket seller says to him, "Why are you buying all these? Are you meeting friends in the cinema all the time?" The boy says, "No, I'm not doing that, but a big woman always stops me at the door and tear(撕掉) my tickets up."

    A few years ago, my young sons, Sam, Jerry and Alex, joined a bike competition in a town far from our home. As their father was busy, I drove them to the competition.

    We were quite new to the town and didn't know anyone there. But soon after arriving, one woman gave me a chair. In the afternoon, we talked happily. Her name was Bev and she was there with her sons Jim and Carl.

    Unluckily, in one of the last races, my youngest son, Alex, had an accident (事故). He cried and cried, so I ran to meet him. He badly broke his arm.

    Just before I decided to take Alex to hospital, I saw a familiar (熟悉的) face. It was Bev.

    Although I hardly still knew her, she could see I was scared by the accident and the worry of having two other children to care in an unfamiliar town.

    "You go with him to the hospital," Bev said. "I'll take the other two home with my boys. Here is my phone number. I live not far from the town hospital."

    Bev was an angel (天使). I will never forget her kindness in taking two children off my hands so I could give my injured (受伤的) child the best care.

    A friendship started that day; and is still growing now.

    "I can't believe this is happening," I thought as I saw Jane walk into the restaurant. She hadn't changed at all. She was still tall and beautiful with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I smiled and thought of how my life had changed since we had last met.

    It all started when I noticed her at a party in a friend's house many years ago. I followed her to the dining room and started talking to her about the food. "You seem very interested in food," she laughed. "Well, I'm a great cook," I told her. It was a lie, but I had to find an excuse to see her again. "May I cook for you sometime?"

    Two days later, Jane came to my house for dinner. However, it was very embarrassing(窘迫的). I ordered the food from a nearby restaurant, but I told her that I had cooked it. After dinner, she warmly offered to wash up and in the kitchen she found the delivery boxes(外卖盒). She laughed at me and I felt terrible. Angry with myself, I decided to learn how to cook.

    I never saw Jane after our terrible dinner date. I started a cookery course and found that I was good at it after all. I went on to train to be a great cook. I worked hard and later I was able to open my own restaurant.

    Now, she walked into my restaurant. Feeling very happy, I pretended(假装) I was a waiter and walked to her table. "Ready to order, madam?" I asked.

    Dick was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and wasn't found. Dick's mother left her three-year-old son without saying goodbye. His aunt had to look after him. Twenty years passed, Dick became a tall, strong man. He found a job on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money. He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. The woman was very happy but one day she died in a traffic accident. The young man was very sad. After he buried her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone(墓碑)for her. He went to the town and came into a shop, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, "Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?" "Yes, we do, sir," answered the shopkeeper. "Is it as expensive as the new one?" "No, it's much cheaper," said the man. "But another name was engraved(刻)in it." "It doesn't matter," said Dick. "My aunt couldn't read."